As of this writing, last week’s story on the Keenspot reorganization has clocked 140 comments; for the record, that’s more than any of the Wikipedia Purge stories, more than the time we were asked to govern ourselves accordingly, more than twice as many as the first big collective poo-fling we had here, near as I can tell the most on any single post in the five year’s we at Fleen have been doing this. I’ve never locked a comment thread at Fleen and I’m not going to, but at some point the discussion is really going to degrade to “Did not!” “Did too!” and I’m gonna have to ask you all to step back from the internet for your own health and well-being.

Some of you are still getting tagged as spam, so do remember to email me if you comments don’t show up (caching effects mean that even when I post, I can sometime see my comment in the Fleen Mission Control administrative end of things, but not at the site — just give it a few); for ease of tracking, let me know about what time you posted, and what name you signed. Oh, and to satisfy my mercenary tendencies, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that there’s a lot of people reading right now, and cheap, open ad buttons from Project Wonderful for any that want to reach eyeballs. Just sayin’.

Now that we’re that much close to bidding the story goodbye (and believe me, if there’s anything that warrants a followup, we’ll talk about it; Chris Crosby has been very generous with his offers of answers), let’s talk about another goodbye.

Today marks the end of DAR! A Super Girly Top Secret Comic Diary.

The short form is that DAR!iarist Erika Moen wants to tell other stories; that’s also the longer form, for Moen is nothing if not brimming with stories and talent. It’s been a constant presence in her life for six years (or, if you prefer, about a quarter of her life) and in my browser for about half that. I’m a little brokenhearted (for me) and a lot thrilled (for her) that it’s ending, but ultimately I feel DAR! has served its purpose.

If memory serves correctly, Moen and I met at SPX about five years ago super-briefly; neither of us is too sure if we actually did. We’ve corresponded by email a handful of times, and we have some mutual friends. But from her comics, she feels so much more connected and familiar than our very casual history would suggest. I don’t mean to say that I “know her” because I’ve read her comics, nothing so shallow as that — but it’s pretty clear that Moen has spent her adult life putting her soul out for anybody to share in that wanted to. I’ve smiled for her and hurt for her, wanted to hold her and tell her it would all be okay, and realized that holding her almost certainly means holding on for dear life. I feel privileged — honored — that she’s shared herself so generously.

I’m going to miss that feeling I get where it’s like the two of us are hanging out and we’re probably a little drunk as she’s telling me about her day and then the tender moment ends with farts. But I’m looking forward to what Hurricane Erika cooks up next, and am ready to ride along wherever she may go. If you haven’t read DAR! obsessively, now’s a good time what with the long weekend coming up and all — start from the beginning and watch what growing into the person you’re going to be looks like for one woman who’s just getting started.